The Other World
For just under a year now, I've been delving into the vast subject of Death. From ancient Egypt to Victorian aesthetics and voodoo graphics, I've been exploring as I discover and read.
As if I were writing a memoir, my research focuses on graphic design/art in Death and death in graphic design/art. Le journal de l'Autre monde is the discovery (completely innocuous in itself) that will be the starting point for this journal:
how can we not share this forgotten treasure of French culture?
"Paris is the city of mystifications. Here's an amusing folly that was born just in time for April 1st and has been a... wild success. It's a newspaper, and a newspaper of unquestionable originality, whose entire edition was snatched up in less than five minutes."
- Le Temps
L'Autre monde, Journal des Trépassés is a macabrely humorous pastiche. Printed in full-color type on ebony-black paper, it's a true printing gem (and a treasure trove for any self-respecting stationery enthusiast)!
First appearing in Paris on April 1, 1877, April Fool's Day is presented as a newspaper written by the dead from beyond the grave (with the "Joyeux Décédé" as editor-in-chief), and takes a sarcastic look at current political, economic and artistic events.
Priced at 25 centimes "on land only", subscriptions are taken out in the catacombs (of course!).
There will be a total of 6 different editions - each with its own color:
(01/04/1877) Blanc : Le Journal des Trépassés
(15/04/1877) Rouge : Numéro des Sorcières
(29/04/1877) Vert : La Guerre chez les Morts
(13/05/1877) Jaune : Numéro des Maris (trompés)
(13/06/1877) Jaune Clair : Numéro des Spirites
(01/04/1896) And one last edition appeared 19 years later, yellow.
"It' s certain that a few grumpy mortals will want to know what our program will be! Those who read our newspaper will see it, but as for the others, we hold them in such deep contempt that we'd have to turn to M. Zola to express it and tell them that consequently it's none of their business. "
welcome to the decadent movement
This diary is a perfect reflection of the fin de siècle spirit and the decadent movement - which prefers the search for strangeness and the bizarre to harmony and balance. Boredom, cynicism and pessimism were the dominant features of this disenchanted generation, whose aspirations became disillusionment, derision and demystification.
No wonder Baudelaire and his spleen were the initiators...!
A true inspiration, other macabre pastiches were published after L'Autre monde. In 1887, Le Journal Comique printed a special issue of Le Croque-mort, journal des refroidis. The latter employed the same black humor: a certain "I. Letoxy" was editor-in-chief, the manager was called "I. Lédécédé", subscriptions were also taken out in the catacombs, and the administrative offices were located in Père-Lachaise.
But it was Le Corbillard, the official newspaper of the Club des J'menfoutistes (1922), that was most directly inspired by L'Autre monde. The newspaper's issues were printed on black paper with colored ink, and the layouts were very similar.
No one really knows who is behind theOther World - or at least, there's no official proof of who's behind it.
It remains a mystery! But that's part of its charm, isn't it?
PS: editions of the journal can be consulted directly on the Bibliothèque Nationale de France website .